Bridle.



O. B. FOSTER.

BBIDLB.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, 1907.

Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

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0. B. POSTER.

Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

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APPLIQATION Hum MAY 29, 1907.

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Witnesses":

- UNTTETE @TATESPATENT OFFICE.

OTIS B. FOSTER, OF OLD MONROE, MISSOURI.

BRIDLE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Orrs B. Fosrnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Old Monroe, in the county of Lincoln and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bridles. of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to harness, and has for its primary object to produce a bridle which can be made of pieces of leather shorter than those that can be utilized in any bridle heretofore known, and which pieces do not need to be permanently sewed or fastened together.

Most bridles have comprised an uninterrupted piece of leather extending from bitring to bit-ring, and looping over the horses head, to which piece or crown-loop the browpiece, throat-latch, check-rein hanger, and blinds are sewed or otherwise fastened. In some cases, these parts, instead of being independent members fastened to the crownloop, are made by splitting or subdividing the main member so that it has two or more of the minor parts integral therewith and extending therefrom. The first-mentioned members, gives a number of weak and thin I straps. In either construction, whenever a part breaks, the expense and labor involved in making the repairs is great, because either a very large piece of leather must be used, or several joints must be sewed by hand. Since the bridle forming the subjectmatter of the present invention, however, is composed of a number of small, independent parts, all merely buckled to a central memher or casting, and, so to speak, radiating therefrom, when any one of the parts does break, only the broken member needs to be replaced, and this reduces the cost of repairs to a minimum, because it is not necessary to provide an entirely new crown-loop, nor to do any sewing. Furthermore, the danger of breaking is lessened, because all parts can be made sufficiently strong and heavy in the first place, and that without having the Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

Serial No. 376,318.

bridle or any member thereof too heavy or unwieldy.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, in which like numbers of reference denote like parts wherever they occur, Fig ure 1 is a front view of a bridle embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a side view of the same; and Fig. 3 is a detail of the central casting and the gag-runner.

To the central members or castings 1 (there being one such member on each side of the horse's head) are fastened the crownloop 2, brow-piece 3, throatlatch 4, checkstrap supports 5, and gag-runners or checkrein hangers 6. Since the crown-loop and cheek-straps are usually thicker and wider than the brow-piece or throat-latch, the castings 1 are approximately rectangular in shape, the crown-loop and cheek-strap su ports being secured to the longer sides of tl fe casting. The various leather parts may be I attached to the castings 1 by sewing or buckling, whichever may be deemed preferable, and, where sewed, buckles 7 may be provided with which to adjust the length of said parts. The usual blind-support 8 is secured to the crown-loop 2, and, from ring 9 at the end of said support 8, straps 10 extend to blinds 11, and keep the blinds from flapping, said blinds being held in any desired manner upon cheek-straps 12.

The lower end of each cheek-strap 12 loops over a bit-ring 13, while the upper end loops over one of the buckles 14. A buckle 15 serves to adjust the distance between buckle 14 and bit-ring 13. Through perforations 16 in both ends of strap 5, which strap loops over casting 1, the pin 17 of buckle 14 is inserted, so that each strap 5 supports a cheek-strap 12 from the casting 1 at any desired distance therebeneath.

Adjacent one of the lower corners of each casting 12 is a perforation 18. The hooklike end 19 of link 20 (which link is one of the two members comprising the check-rein hanger 6) is inserted through said perforation, said end, after passing through said perforation, being bent down into engagement with the flat web of the link, thereby keeping the link hooked to the casting. The flange-like end 21 of link 20 encircles the cross-arm 22 which connects the arms of the bifurcated end 22 of the gag-runner 23 (the second member of the check-rein hanger), through the central aperture of which gagrunner the check rein. 24 passes; Said gag-.

runner, therefore, because of its hinge-like connection with link 20,, and the connection of the link with the casting, is given a swiveled connection with the casting, so that said gag-runner can freely swing in any direction-which. may benecessitated by the tossingNofi the horses head.

ile it might be possible to use ordinary annular rings in place of the peculiarlyshaped' castings 1, castings of" the sha e shown are preferable because the straig tparts of same have-less tendency to abrade or cut the leather than annular rings, for; a.

ring engages the strap only atv the edges, and not in the middle, thereby tending to cut the edges. Since it is necessary to allow some play to the throat-latch, the end of the castmg to which same isfastened may becurved, as at 25. The'perforated. corner of the casting may berroundedofl at 26, to prevent eX- cessive abrasion: of" the hook-like end 19 oflink 18, and an-ofi'set 27 formedon the inner Patent is:

A bridle having a perforated casting sup fiorted by the crown-loop, a link having a ook-like end which passes throughv said per foration, and a member supporting: the

check-rein, said member terminating in. a: blfurcated yoke and having a eross-armc'om:

necting the extremities of said yoke, said cross-arm being encircledby one end of said:

link.

In: testimony whereof" I have atlixedl mysignature in presence of .two witnesses.

OTIS B. FOSTER. Witnesses:

WILLIAM-S. GRAY, DAvmDUnY. 

